ABOUT 17 years ago, back when I was a wide-eyed law student at the Ateneo de Davao College of Law, I tagged along with two of my classmates now lawyers Lynnart Walford Tan and Eric Tomas into joining a law school organization named Lakas Atenista.
I became an active member of a seemingly serious sounding organization which in reality is a fun-loving group dedicated to helping our fellow peers navigate the unpredictable currents of law school. I still remember the camaraderie and the bond forged during the many gatherings and activities of the org. Many of my LA friends are now lawyers in private practice or in the private sector. Many are also in politics and in the government.
Lakas Atenista had just turned 30 and I was fortunate to be invited during its Pearl anniversary last February 18 at the ballroom of the Marco Polo Hotel which was attended by 214 members and guests.
Lakas Atenista traces its roots way back in 1986 when a group of law students of the Ateneo de Davao University - College of Law decided to form an organization called Lakas Atenista. They were among the so-called “Barbarians” who were left to fend for themselves, individually struggling against the hardships that law school entailed.
Although the group shares the same goal of becoming lawyers and making law school life bearable, they did not agree with certain rules, methods and ideologies that fraternities abide with. They firmly believed that friendship did not require more than mutual respect for each other. This later on became the seed idea that blossomed into the founding of Lakas Atenista.
From July 1986 to February 1987, a Constitutional Committee was formed composed of the founding fathers of Lakas Atenista and these included Franklin Ladores, Dickson Go, Edgar Derecho, Eddie Castillo, Brieglo Pagaran, Ignatius Bajo, Luis Malanyaon and Alfredo Pagdilao Jr.
The moral support given by the late Dean Epifanio Estrellado along with the late Atty. Hildegardo Iñigo and Atty. Manuel Quibod (the current law school dean) was invaluable. By March 1987, the application for recognition, along with the Constitution and By Laws, were submitted to the Office of the Dean of the Ateneo Law School.
On March 18, 1987, official recognition was granted by the ADDU Board of Trustees. Lakas Atenista was born. A decade after the founding, LA members decided to continue the hallmark of camaraderie, thus on March 3, 2000, Lakas Atenista Foundation Inc. or LAF was formed, which eventually became Lakas Atenista Inc. (LAInc.) in time for LA’s 30th Founding Anniversary.
Congratulations to Lakas Atenista for another milestone.